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Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
Knee Deep Brewing Company
Beer Geek Stats
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- From:
- Knee Deep Brewing Company
- California, United States
- Style:
- American Imperial Stout
- ABV:
- 14.4%
- Score:
- 87
- Avg:
- 3.85 | pDev: 14.03%
- Reviews:
- 8
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Mar 21, 2018
- Added:
- Oct 23, 2012
- Wants:
- 1
- Gots:
- 4
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by JohnnieQuest:
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by brewaddict from California
3.83/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.83/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
2016 Bottle
L - Pours a dark cola brown with a thin khaki head. Looks a little thin.
S - Good barrel notes. Chocolate, vanilla, barrel char, and Belgian spice.
T - The taste, however, is just sugary sweet chocolate and vanilla with a little rye spice on the back end. A little bit of heat.
F - Generally the mouthfeel is thin, but sticky and smooth.
O - The aroma is more complex than taste.
Mar 21, 2018L - Pours a dark cola brown with a thin khaki head. Looks a little thin.
S - Good barrel notes. Chocolate, vanilla, barrel char, and Belgian spice.
T - The taste, however, is just sugary sweet chocolate and vanilla with a little rye spice on the back end. A little bit of heat.
F - Generally the mouthfeel is thin, but sticky and smooth.
O - The aroma is more complex than taste.
Reviewed by Phil-Fresh from California
3.79/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.79/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
2012 Bottle.
A: Roasted malts with a chocolaty aroma, light oxidation, with a mild bourbon note on the finish.
A: Black color, totally opaque with no head at all.
T: Mild chocolaty malts, with a light woody bourbon note on the finish.
M: Full bodied with light carbonation and no trace of alcoholic warmth.
O: Solid; for being nearly 5 years old, the beer still has a great mild chocolaty malt aroma and flavor with a woody bourbon character. The beer is showing light oxidation, but not overpowering.
Feb 26, 2017A: Roasted malts with a chocolaty aroma, light oxidation, with a mild bourbon note on the finish.
A: Black color, totally opaque with no head at all.
T: Mild chocolaty malts, with a light woody bourbon note on the finish.
M: Full bodied with light carbonation and no trace of alcoholic warmth.
O: Solid; for being nearly 5 years old, the beer still has a great mild chocolaty malt aroma and flavor with a woody bourbon character. The beer is showing light oxidation, but not overpowering.
Reviewed by ccg from Virginia
4.26/5 rDev +10.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.26/5 rDev +10.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
When I first poured it, there was a bit of head on it, and it was surprisingly fizzy. I could hear the bubbles popping, like in a soda. The head quickly disappeared, leaving no visible trace of carbonation and no lacing. If I move the beer around, I can see the thick legs on the glass, which is not surprising given this stout's advertised 14% ABV. The beer is itself is as opaque and pitch black as any quality stout, with the watery, bent-light ring around the edge that I often notice in BBA stouts.
The smell is fantastic. It reminds me of the last time I had BCBS. It has strong chocolate and vanilla notes and even stronger bourbon and oak notes, topped off with a savory, leathery sort of richness. Excellent.
The taste is also very good. It's rich with chocolate, oak, and bourbon.
It's a heavy beer with a oily, coating feeling to it, but there's also some fizziness that appears when I drink it. The tongue-tickling fizziness seems a bit out of place, but it does lighten up the beer a beer, in a good way. Without it, it might have felt to dense and heavy and flat.
Wow! This beer is such a pleasant surprise. I think I bought it on a whim not really knowing what it was. The carbonation is not as well integrated compared to something like BCBS, but the smell and flavor profile are actually pretty similar although not quite as complex. If you're a fan of this style, I'd highly recommend picking up one of these. Now that I've let it sit a bit longer, I think maybe it's closer to Black Tuesday than BCBS. It's a big beer, and the booze is strong, but I actually quite enjoy the boozy sweetness. I think it adds sort of a waxy coconut flavor to the mix.
Nov 12, 2016The smell is fantastic. It reminds me of the last time I had BCBS. It has strong chocolate and vanilla notes and even stronger bourbon and oak notes, topped off with a savory, leathery sort of richness. Excellent.
The taste is also very good. It's rich with chocolate, oak, and bourbon.
It's a heavy beer with a oily, coating feeling to it, but there's also some fizziness that appears when I drink it. The tongue-tickling fizziness seems a bit out of place, but it does lighten up the beer a beer, in a good way. Without it, it might have felt to dense and heavy and flat.
Wow! This beer is such a pleasant surprise. I think I bought it on a whim not really knowing what it was. The carbonation is not as well integrated compared to something like BCBS, but the smell and flavor profile are actually pretty similar although not quite as complex. If you're a fan of this style, I'd highly recommend picking up one of these. Now that I've let it sit a bit longer, I think maybe it's closer to Black Tuesday than BCBS. It's a big beer, and the booze is strong, but I actually quite enjoy the boozy sweetness. I think it adds sort of a waxy coconut flavor to the mix.
Reviewed by raynmoon from Colorado
3.96/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 3.75
3.96/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 3.75
Pours a dark brown, leaving some small tan foam around the edges. Big alcohol legs hanging down the edges of the glass.
The aroma is straight oak and booze. It carries a hint of sweetness with the heat coming off the barrel. It smells like a shot of bourbon. Not much beer coming through however.
Very interesting flavor profile. That strange sweetness is coming through on the flavor. The first thing I notice is the big, pillowy mouthfeel, but the sugary, boozy sweetness starts to take away from the complexity of the beer.
This is sort of a polarizing beer, like Dark Lord, where the sweetness is borderline overbearing.
Aug 17, 2016The aroma is straight oak and booze. It carries a hint of sweetness with the heat coming off the barrel. It smells like a shot of bourbon. Not much beer coming through however.
Very interesting flavor profile. That strange sweetness is coming through on the flavor. The first thing I notice is the big, pillowy mouthfeel, but the sugary, boozy sweetness starts to take away from the complexity of the beer.
This is sort of a polarizing beer, like Dark Lord, where the sweetness is borderline overbearing.
Reviewed by BierJager89 from California
4.48/5 rDev +16.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.48/5 rDev +16.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
A: Pours black with a creamy mocha ring of head.
S: Dark chocolate, roasted malt, dark/medium roast coffee, vanilla, caramel and oak in the nose.
T: Bittersweet dark chocolate, milk chocolate, vanilla, oak, caramel, orange and coffee.
M: Medium-full bodied and kind of smooth.
O: Much better than I was expecting. Bourbon character is definitely there.
Jan 18, 2014S: Dark chocolate, roasted malt, dark/medium roast coffee, vanilla, caramel and oak in the nose.
T: Bittersweet dark chocolate, milk chocolate, vanilla, oak, caramel, orange and coffee.
M: Medium-full bodied and kind of smooth.
O: Much better than I was expecting. Bourbon character is definitely there.
Reviewed by scottfrie from California
3.26/5 rDev -15.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
3.26/5 rDev -15.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
22oz bottle into snifter. Bourbon barrel.
A: Pours a deep dark cola brown with a finger of fairly dense light tan head that quickly faded into a faint film and collar. Bubbly wisps of soapy lace were left down the glass.
S: Not actually getting much on the nose. Caramel, roasted grain, Dr.Pepper, and a kiss of vanilla and chocolate. Not much else. Bourbon is noticeably absent.
T: Extremely mild for an almost 10% bal-aged beer. Chocolate comes through more strongly than the nose and the bourbon is noticeable in a spicy, woody, type of way. The finish is full of caramel and vanilla, and the aftertaste has hints of leather, tobacco and char.
M: Full body but not crazy thick or heavy, soft and low carbonation, slick mouthfeel and smooth. No trace of alcohol.
O: Good flavor but I wish there was more of it. Very very mild. Needs more body and more depth.
Jun 09, 2013A: Pours a deep dark cola brown with a finger of fairly dense light tan head that quickly faded into a faint film and collar. Bubbly wisps of soapy lace were left down the glass.
S: Not actually getting much on the nose. Caramel, roasted grain, Dr.Pepper, and a kiss of vanilla and chocolate. Not much else. Bourbon is noticeably absent.
T: Extremely mild for an almost 10% bal-aged beer. Chocolate comes through more strongly than the nose and the bourbon is noticeable in a spicy, woody, type of way. The finish is full of caramel and vanilla, and the aftertaste has hints of leather, tobacco and char.
M: Full body but not crazy thick or heavy, soft and low carbonation, slick mouthfeel and smooth. No trace of alcohol.
O: Good flavor but I wish there was more of it. Very very mild. Needs more body and more depth.
Reviewed by EgadBananas from Louisiana
3.56/5 rDev -7.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.56/5 rDev -7.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours a near deep black, with decent carbonation and a slight less than a finger of tan head.
You kinda have to "stop and smell the roses" with this one. If you don't sit and really take in the aromas, you might miss a nice BA experience. There's chocolate and coffee, roasted malts, vanilla, sweet nutty woody notes, and touches of bourbon. It doesn't reach out and punch you in the face like a lot of BA stouts,but give it a chance...you'll find some nice layers here.
The taste has some up front roasted notes, vanilla and surely some wood. There's a hint of heat, and some chocolate and coffee. Finishes with some boozy bourbon notes.
It has a nearly full body, slight creaminess, carbonation is pretty decent.
A solid first BA attempt, but it does lack some refinement.
Oct 28, 2012You kinda have to "stop and smell the roses" with this one. If you don't sit and really take in the aromas, you might miss a nice BA experience. There's chocolate and coffee, roasted malts, vanilla, sweet nutty woody notes, and touches of bourbon. It doesn't reach out and punch you in the face like a lot of BA stouts,but give it a chance...you'll find some nice layers here.
The taste has some up front roasted notes, vanilla and surely some wood. There's a hint of heat, and some chocolate and coffee. Finishes with some boozy bourbon notes.
It has a nearly full body, slight creaminess, carbonation is pretty decent.
A solid first BA attempt, but it does lack some refinement.
Reviewed by SHODriver from North Carolina
2.98/5 rDev -22.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
2.98/5 rDev -22.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
A: poured into a snifter to a deep black with a half inch of light tan head that fades to a collar and small mat
S: smells of chocolate, caramel, vanilla, slight coffee note and a bit of alcohol
T: slow to start but flavors of caramel and vanilla up front, sweet milk chocolate, a bit of coffee, and dark roast malt. swallow brings a bit of woody bourbon flavor and a bit more coffee plus a slight hop bitterness.
M: light and soft carbonation that is a touch under prickly with a medium mouthfeel. it kinda lacks the heft of an imperial stout on the palate
O: Sorely dissapointing for the price. I hate to slam this beer on its inagural review but I can't help but feel that I've been cheated for a beer priced the same as Parabola. It has good flavors but it doesn't have much of a bourbon kick and the mouthfeel is thin. At a lower price point I could justify it but I feel this one falls short. maybe I got a bad bottle but I don't think I'll chance it for a second go around.
Oct 23, 2012S: smells of chocolate, caramel, vanilla, slight coffee note and a bit of alcohol
T: slow to start but flavors of caramel and vanilla up front, sweet milk chocolate, a bit of coffee, and dark roast malt. swallow brings a bit of woody bourbon flavor and a bit more coffee plus a slight hop bitterness.
M: light and soft carbonation that is a touch under prickly with a medium mouthfeel. it kinda lacks the heft of an imperial stout on the palate
O: Sorely dissapointing for the price. I hate to slam this beer on its inagural review but I can't help but feel that I've been cheated for a beer priced the same as Parabola. It has good flavors but it doesn't have much of a bourbon kick and the mouthfeel is thin. At a lower price point I could justify it but I feel this one falls short. maybe I got a bad bottle but I don't think I'll chance it for a second go around.
Barrel Aged Imperial Stout from Knee Deep Brewing Company
Beer rating:
87 out of
100 with
14 ratings
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